By Erin McCarthy with Follow Erin on Facebook

In a world often characterized by division and discord, I harbor a profound dream – one that transcends boundaries and fosters a connection that goes beyond age, background, and circumstance. My vision is to inspire humanity to embrace love and compassion, and I am committed to turning this dream into reality by launching a nonprofit organization this year. The core of my initiative? Bridging the gap between homeless youth and the elderly through the transformative power of art, movement, and music.

Homelessness is an issue that affects countless lives, leaving individuals disconnected from the broader tapestry of society. Simultaneously, many elderly individuals find themselves isolated and yearning for meaningful connections. Recognizing the shared humanity that binds these two seemingly disparate groups, my vision is to create a platform that not only addresses their immediate needs but also nurtures their souls through creative expression.

Art, with its ability to communicate emotions beyond words, will play a pivotal role in this initiative. Through workshops and collaborative projects, both homeless youth and the elderly will have the opportunity to express themselves, fostering a sense of belonging and purpose. The canvases will become a shared space where stories are told, dreams are visualized, and empathy is cultivated.

Movement, in the form of dance and physical expression, will serve as a means to break down barriers and transcend age-related stereotypes. Engaging in joint activities that promote mobility and coordination will not only improve physical well-being but also create a bond rooted in shared experiences. The dance of life knows no age limit, and through movement, we will celebrate the vitality that unites us all.

Music, as a universal language, will echo the emotions of our shared humanity. From creating melodies together to organizing concerts that showcase the talents within these communities, music will be the harmonious thread that weaves our diverse stories into a collective symphony of compassion. It has the power to uplift spirits, evoke memories, and connect hearts across generations.

Launching a nonprofit is not just about implementing programs; it’s about creating a sustainable ecosystem that thrives on community involvement. Volunteers from all walks of life will be the backbone of this initiative, contributing their time and skills to create a ripple effect of positive change. By fostering a culture of empathy and understanding, we aim to inspire others to join the cause and become catalysts for compassion in their communities.

As we embark on this journey, the ultimate goal is not only to provide immediate relief but to instigate a profound shift in societal consciousness. It is my fervent belief that by bridging the homeless youth with the elderly through art, movement, and music, we can create a ripple effect of compassion that extends far beyond our immediate impact. Together, we can inspire humanity to embrace love as the guiding force that binds us all, irrespective of age, background, or circumstance.

In the tapestry of life, let us weave a vibrant and interconnected masterpiece – one that reflects the beauty of compassion and the resilience of the human spirit.

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By Cheryl Clark with Clark Strategies

How am I leaving the world a better place than it was when I came into it?

I absolutely must share I struggled with this topic over and over and over in my brain before opening a word document to make this blog happen.

Why?

Maybe I struggled because nothing grand or majestic popped into my head right away.  I didn’t hear any trumpets sounding, crowds roaring with cheering and applause, nor did I see a red carpet in my brain for me to walk. 

Is it because I want to err on the side of being humble?

Is it because I have never heard how I made a difference? 

For the record, I have heard the words, “You made such a big difference…” a few times in my life.

However, I have also dismissed them as, “Ah, it was nothing…” both outwardly and inwardly, apparently.  I have dismissed them so much, in fact, that coming up with how I am leaving the world a better place has left me stumped.

Then I re-read the question (several times).

It doesn’t say “how DID I…”  It says “how AM I…”  Meaning I still can create that grand trumpet moment, with a red carpet and hearing waves of cheers!  

How am I… is completely different than how did I …and I think the AM is easier to answer!

I am going to leave this world a better place than when I came into it in a few different ways.

I am going to be the one you refer to when you say, “I met you because of Cheryl.”

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By Ceone Leistner with ENJO Canada

“We don’t inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.”
~ an 18-century Sioux Chief

Think about that…. really think about it. Do you want to leave a mess for future generations to have to clean up and deal with? Or would you rather do your best to leave them a place where they don’t have to deal with some of the issues you had in your lifetime?

I, for one, would never wish those younger than me to endure any hardship that I could help them avoid. This is especially true for things where I can very easily adjust my actions to make a big positive impact. For instance, I will walk a few extra steps to make sure I put something in the recycling bin rather than just toss it into the garbage can. I *may* be known to point out to others that an item should be recycled, too.

Is it really that difficult to do? No!

Let’s be completely honest here.: Is there a valid reason you cannot put the item in the recycling bin? Not very often! One can here, one bottle there, perhaps a piece of paper or two a little later. It certainly doesn’t seem like much right? Well, why don’t you add up all of those “one here” and “one there” actions over the course of a day, a week, a month, or a year. By the time you get to adding them up over the course of your lifetime, that’s a pretty big pile!! Wouldn’t a nice place to safely play outdoors be more positive for your grandchildren than a pile of stinky garbage?

Still not convinced to make a change for the planet?

How about we find a way to make it beneficial for you?

For me, I hate the smell of the garbage can, so I am motivated (in addition to the above) to rinse the container and toss it in the recycle bin (and get a little extra exercise since I will also put it out in the recycle bin in the garage rather than leave it in the kitchen).

What works for you?

One of the biggest changes I made was switching from traditional cleaning products, which contain toxic chemicals, to using ENJO which just uses cold water. So much healthier for me.; I can actually breathe when I am cleaning!  Plus, the positive effect it has on the Earth is mind-boggling! I still clean, I just choose to clean in a healthier manner for both the planet and me!

I challenge you to consider just this one simple switch.

And, if you want to see the effect the cleaning products you use have on the Earth, water one of your houseplants with that chemical for a few weeks, and water another plant with water. Afterward, which plant looks healthier?

Through these seemingly small changes: recycling and using ENJO, I know I am doing what I can to leave the Earth a better place for the future.

What are you doing?

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By Suzy Rawlins with Roots and Boots with Suzy Rawlins

“We can’t help everyone, but everyone can help someone.” Ronald Regan

Simply put, this world is better because YOU exist. Each of us is here on earth to impact the lives of specific people. It is up to you to lead by example and bless as many people as you can, since we may never meet the same people. Your interactions with people around you, your decisions, and even your smallest acts of kindness can have a lasting impact on the lives of many.

Truth is, we may never know how our smiles or kind words touch another person’s life. It is everyone’s responsibility to be a positive influence and a role model for others to follow. We are all shaped by the experiences of our lives and the people around us. You, therefore, affect so many other lives in this way.

How am I leaving the world a better place than it was when I came into it? Through my faith and my passion for “Leaving A Legacy.” I approach each day with an opportunity to bless someone with kindness. My years of experience and wisdom can be a helpful guide to those I encounter. Because I tend to see things in black and white, the guidance of my mentors has helped me see a variety of situations in a more colorful light. It is my prayer that I can pass that on to someone else.

Let me leave you with one of my favorite bible verses.

“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” ~Mathew 5:14-16

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By Cindy Rose Ferguson with Avon with Cindy Rose

I would like to believe that most will strive to leave the world a better place in some way within the experience and belief systems we are raised in.  Subsequently, as we live and learn, we are able to learn and grow.

My contribution is “Showing Up”, as a real person who has lived with many opportunities to come out the other side, into the light of understanding, acceptance, and most of all forgiveness.

Much gratitude goes to Jamie Allen Bishop for providing the contest of her #28DayGoLiveChallenge a few years ago as it rekindled a spark of how I might better serve in this world.  Through this challenge, I developed a standard for my business, Avon with Cindy Rose, which has developed into a LIVE at 10 for 10, almost every day since. It has become a bit of a platform to share hope through storytelling, plant seeds of possibility, and provide tips and resources for healthy and natural aging.

I’d like to leave fairy dust and the sound of bells in my wake as a reminder that we can retrain our brain and fulfill our soul’s purpose, no matter what!  Life will present “A Cause for Pause”, and it is fully within our magic how we respond and grow through these moments.  It is my intention and hope that my wee seeds of possibility land in the minds of folks where they will be nurtured, grow, and serve in the souls of others.

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By Sharon Loduca, Real Estate Professional in Ontario, Canada

My first action on just reading, “How am I leaving the world a better place…” was to immediately make a mental to-do list.  But do you know what I do NOT need? Right! ANOTHER to-do list. It’s just that I’m a doer; an action-taker; a problem-solver. My nature, as soon as I see a question, is to first look for the outcome, the solution. I do tend to over-complicate some things… well, practically everything, actually. I just want everybody to be happy!

The first best move I made in helping the world become a better place, was to evaluate the hamster wheel, get off, stop, and rest. In the process of resting, I made a shocking discovery: that the world went on just fine without me. Okay, I get that can be more humbling than ever intended. And maybe that’s just what was needed!

Realizing this, I was able to let go of stress and high self-expectations. I didn’t feel the pressure to say yes to everything. And this, my friends, freed me up. Freed me to find that place of rest on the inside, that place of peace, calmness, and acceptance. Now, these are gifts I can give. They have changed my world. They just might change someone else’s world. This is not about a tally count. It is about a state of being.

When you walk into a room and you look like you are the eye of the storm (guilty), people feel that. Some take it upon themselves. This life is short. This world is stressed to the max. I knew I could ‘do’ just a wee bit better.  Surely in my own little world, I could leave a better mark. Not out of obligation, but out of desire.

Today, the first on my ‘list’ in leaving the world a better place is to show KINDNESS. Have a mindset of kindness. That kindness will look as different as the situation or person in front of me. However, the spirit of kindness doesn’t change. It could be a simple smile: at the drive-through; at a loonie in the hat of the person without a home; or, at the hurried driver who seems to need the road space ahead of you.

The second on my ‘list’ is TIME. I have the same number of hours in a day as the person in the nursing home. Except, I can be guilty of being too busy to care. Not that I would intentionally not care, but that the state of constant busyness can rob us of the state of awareness, which becomes sharpest, ironically, when we take ‘time’ to notice. Taking a coffee break in the park. Starting up small talk with the elder sitting alone. It could change their world. Today.

We already know what time does (and is expected to do) for our business. But from our kids to our partners, families, and friends – TIME is always appreciated and respected. Time invested kills neglect, isolation, and loneliness. Time shared allows them to believe in themselves and their dreams. It allows them to have hope; to emulate my behaviour. Time shared lets someone feel cared for and noticed.

Isolation and loneliness are now being addressed as the plague of our time, compounded on the other hand with stress, fatigue, and lack of time. Imagine this! If we could simply choose to tackle reclaiming our time, investing it kindly in others, however nominal, we could actually take the boots to isolation and loneliness and kick them into oblivion. My friends, I cannot think of a more promising way for me to leave this world a better place!

So, I guess, what I am really saying, is that to leave the world a better place, is to, from a place of quietness and renewed strength, give it the best of me. And of course, not ‘it’ but ‘them’. The world is made up entirely of individual people, all with their own set of needs and hopes. Giving the world the me who has weathered the storms of life, of wrong decisions, of grief and fatigue. The me who has allowed the rays of vision and hope to find their way through the cracks my world has created. Offering to the world, the one unique mosaic only I can give: myself. I offer ‘me’ through kindness and time… and always with a smile. 🙂 Everything else will organically surface from there.

“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.”
― Rumi

Giving of myself might look like having lunch with a lonely senior; it could be driving someone to a medical appointment; it could be visiting a neighbour with no family. It could be writing a short letter of encouragement, just once a week, but always to someone different. It could be a few groceries left at someone’s door. Maybe it’s leaving a good review, or complimenting someone on a job well done, or encouraging a young adult that they really do have what it takes to do life well.

I must add that to leave the world a better place, I also learned that what I choose NOT to ‘do’, is also really important. Choosing not to gossip. Making it a point to hold my conversations to a higher standard helped me to grow. Choosing not to take it personally when someone else is having a bad day. Choosing not to contribute to making someone else feel worse. Choosing to be the ray of sunshine – and not the eye of the storm. I think you can agree, this alone, leaves the world a better place.

If all I had to offer today was a smile, steeped from a place of loving kindness, then I can offer that smile, to one person at a time. A thousand times later, I will have impacted at least a thousand lives for the better. Even if it’s not a big game changer, it could be a big face changer, a big life changer, it could change the trajectory of someone’s life.

Let gratitude be your attitude. It will help your smile go the mile!! . Take it for a test drive … time after time. Every day you will be making this world a better place.

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By Barbara Worsley, The East Coast Dragon Lady

I was born in England in the early 50s deemed a post-war baby.

There was still rationing -I had a ration book and supplements for children Cod liver oil and orange juice- I still can taste & smell that gloopy thick cod liver sliding down my throat.

I was brought up with parents who had experienced not having all they needed, and they were frugal.

I would have said then that I would want to leave the world better than that time of less and struggles, but here I am in 2023

I have outlived by age my grandparents who all died in their late 60s or early 70s. My father died at 60 from a major heartache.

It made me, as an adult, take good care of my physical body as well as my heart & blood pressure knowing my family history.

Today we have much more advanced medications and know that certain lifestyles will cause certain diseases.

As a lightworker, energy healer, and channeler I am now able to bring into this world gifts of healing to those who may have dis-ease. The world is now waking up to what else there is out there and looking for answers to what will make this world a better place

I was recently asked if I had “heard” why the whales especially on the west coast were dying.

I was able to channel a response and put it on several social media outlets, so the message was not just for one person it was for those who needed to hear the message and others  around the world is my ultimate goal

This is how I know I will leave the world a better place of understanding and knowing because I am one of many brave souls stepping up & speaking up about what I hear.

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By Jamie Allen Bishop with Jamie Allen Bishop Coaching

I am leaving the world a better place than when I came into it by existing.

To some, that statement might come across as selfish or egocentric.

To me, it’s the truest statement I could make about myself… or about you.

• YOU do your best. I do my best.
• YOU make a difference. I make a difference.
• YOU are important. I am important.
• YOU are amazing. I am amazing.
• YOU are a blessing. I am a blessing.
• YOU matter. I matter.
• …and so on.

Each of us has the power to create peace or hell on earth. My prayer is that we are doing the things in our power to leave the world a better place through our own example… by being grateful… by accepting each other… by learning what to hold and what to release… by loving our flaws… by holding space for each other… by knowing our boundaries… by growing purposefully every day.

When life feels chaotic or overwhelming, I turn to folks who are the examples I want to see in the world. This quote has helped me through numerous challenges. May it find a place in your heart to bring you hope, too.

“Sometimes when things are falling apart, they may actually be falling into place.”
~ Marlo Thomas

There’s hope in that statement. There’s magic, too.

And guess what?!

We have 100% control over our perception… our hope… our magic, which absolutely becomes our world… our purpose.

And our purpose is simple – just BE.

• Be giving.
• Be grateful.
• Be honorable.
• Be joyful.
• Be kind.
• Be knowledge.
• Be loving.
• Be magic.
• Be thoughtful.
• Be YOU!

If we are experiencing anything other than blissful nirvana… our own version of heaven on earth… it is because we are out of alignment with our purpose.

Can you imagine a world where everyone existed as the giving, grateful, honorable, joyful, kind, knowledgeable, loving, magical, thoughtful, and best versions of themselves?

If so, you’re onto something. Keep up the great work!

If not, only YOU can change your world. Perception is nine-tenths of the law.

Join me on a quest to live intentionally as if peace on earth exists because you are here.

Because it does.

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By Julie Rose, Paralegal, Officiant, and Candle Maker

Before I was a Paralegal, I was a mom.

I raised two daughters who’ve grown up to be wonderful human beings. They’re my best friends. I’m very proud of the strong women they’ve become. I can truly say, if I leave nothing else in this world, it is a better place just because they’re in it.

I’m also a grandma. They call me Nana.

My granddaughter is 11 going on 30 and my grandson is 3 and smart as a whip. When they were born, I swear they took a piece of my heart. When they’re hurting, I hurt. When they’re happy, I’m happy. I don’t know how it happened, but we have a very strong connection. I never knew I could love another person as much as I love them.

They’re learning to be good people, and I am very confident that they will be because they already are. They’re kind, compassionate, and generous. Equally important, they are critical thinkers. They don’t just believe whatever someone tells them without thinking about whether it makes sense or not. I like to think that I have something to do with that and not just genetically. I spend a lot of time with them. My granddaughter… not as much anymore… now she wants to be with her friends. My grandson starts school in September, so I’ll be seeing less of him as well.  

When they’re grown up and out on their own my grandchildren and other people’s grandchildren will be running this place, this planet we call home. I’m confident that they will be a positive contribution to society.

These people, my family, are my legacy.

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